This week we got a new Stand Up Paddle board to use down by the river. I found a deal on one we liked by Isle that should be a good all-around beginner board. We took it to the river and Jess and I both got to try it out on a beautiful day. Lucky for us we stayed upright and didn’t fall in as the jelly fish in the creek were unreal. Looking for many more weekend mornings of paddling.
The first full day of the US Sailing Leadership Forum was started early by west coast standards. I ran the 1.5mi from my hotel to the beach in front of the event hotel and we got to do a Stand Up Paddle Board fitness class.
After running home and cleaning up we started the forum with presentations by Gary Jobson and Ken Read. It was great hearing their views on sailing as well as it’s challenges and opportunities. I attended sessions on:
Between the sessions and getting to talk to so many sailors from such a wide background was really a great experience and great way to share ideas and learn from others. I took about 2 pages of notes from each session and after I get home I distill those down and share some of the biggest things I learned this week.
In the evening was the US Sailing Community and One Design Awards Ceremony held at the San Diego Hall of Champions. I got to sit next to the President of US Sailing, Tom Hubbell, on the bus there and talked to him about being/having been sailors on Chautauqua Lake among other things. The Hall of Champions is a great sport museum and as a sailor I loved the full-sized Star boat on display as well as all of the sailing history and America’s Cup history in the rooms of sailing exhibits. I also got to visit with my sister and meet her boyfriend who came down from L.A. for the dinner.
The awards ceremony itself was neat to see and hear about all of the amazing and wonderful things that so many others were doing for the sport of sailing. It was an honor to be among them and it was an even greater honor to receive the 2013 US Sailing One Design Leadership Award presented by my friend Margaret Podlich.
Saturday at the Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship started out with the wind too light for sailing. So what did we do with 45 Laser Masters sailors while waiting for the wind to fill?
PADDLE BOARD RACES!
Lucky for us the wind filled a short time later and we got to go racing! Regatta Results | Sailing Video